


Rare Beauty

by writerinthedark4



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV), Juliantina - Fandom
Genre: AU, F/F, Juliantina Weekly Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26885710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerinthedark4/pseuds/writerinthedark4
Summary: Valentina and Juliana meet each other while in the biggest street carnival in the world.
Relationships: Valentina Carvajal/Juliana Valdés
Comments: 21
Kudos: 133





	Rare Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Roberta for challenging me with this fun prompt!  
> This story is based in my city, Salvador - Brasil, in our biggest and most important festival and it was a lot of fun to write. I hope you guys liked!

"Hi, excuse me," Valentina said arriving at the service desk, rubbing her forehead to wipe the sweat that was accumulating on the spot. "Where can I report a theft?"

She was sticky, restless and angry. If she knew that this city was going to be so hot and so crowded she would have thought twice before traveling to it.

No, it was a lie. She was enjoying the trip. She was loving the culture and all the colors, the music, the hospitality and friendliness of the townspeople, and she was loving the beaches. What Valentina was really hating, and, if she was being honest she knew it was going to happen sooner or later, it was her friends' bad mood for being in the city of the biggest street carnival in the world.

It wasn't something they were used to, since they were always traveling to trendy places and them not being as crowded as Salvador, the city they were in. They traveled first class and stayed in five-star accommodations, but Valentina wanted something different for this trip. She didn't want to be around rich and snobbish people that she had to put up with her day to day life.

She wanted to feel the human warmth and wanted to live for real and feel the city's pulses pounding on hers. She should’ve just remembered that in this, she and her friends were completely different.

"Just a minute, please," The worker answered her with an accent from a person who clearly doesn’t have Spanish as their mother tongue.

Valentina sighed and nodded, looking back and deciding to sit down until she was called. Her feet were killing her. This city was made up of hills, and huge hills. This free exercise under a sun that reminded her of the home sun she felt on her skin routinely, was a recipe for tiredness.

She turned around completely and started walking towards the chairs but in the middle of the way she bumped into another woman, who put her hands on Valentina's arms, balancing her so she wouldn't fall.

"Ohm, I'm sorry!" Valentina heard the woman speak in Spanish, regaining her balance and looking at the woman, her breath holding for two seconds as Valentina stared into eyes so dark she felt herself getting lost in them. "Did I hurt you?" The woman asked with a worried expression, looking at Valentina's feet and noticing the size of the heels she was wearing. "If this city hasn't twisted your foot so far in these heels, I hope I was just as lucky."

The black-haired woman said smiling at her, but Valentina was unable to answer immediately. How could she be so beautiful in the middle of a huge festival under an absurd hot sun? Valentina hadn't seen herself in the mirror yet, but she was sure her hair was in chaos. The wind with the sweat was the combination for the disaster in this ventilated city.

"Hey?" Valentina heard the woman speak again and it seemed to pull her out of the trance she was in, straightening up and taking a step back, the distance being a little more than necessary at that moment, since Valentina hadn't managed to take her eyes off the woman’s face yet. "Are you okay?"

"You speak Spanish?" It was the first sentence that Valentina managed to formulate, making the woman smile again.

"Yes, I do," The woman replied smiling even more. She had to stop doing that. "You also speak Spanish from what I see."

Valentina nodded until she remembered that she needed to talk with words. "I mean, yes, I speak Spanish too," She laughed sheepishly. "I am Mexican."

"Oh, wow, small world." The woman said as she sat down. “I’m also Mexican. I mean, I'm American, but I'm more Mexican than American.”

Valentina's heart skipped a beat at that. "You serious?" She asked, sitting next to her. "Capital?" The brown-eyed nodded. "Wow," Valentina let out a nasal laugh and ran a hand through her hair trying to improve what she couldn't see. “Really small world. But how come you’re also American?”

“I was born in the United States and I moved to Mexico when I was 18, but I lived in an area very influenced by Mexican culture, so I feel like I grew up in the country anyway.” She stopped and looked at Valentina again. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Valentina heard the other woman ask and frowned, confused, what she must have realized because she said right away, "You were kind of airy after I almost knocked you over." She finished saying, smiling, and Valentina realized there that the other woman had realized that Valentina was shaken when she saw her.

"Oh, it was nothing," Valentina waved a hand in front of her. "I think it’s the heat of this city plus the small space, I was a little off."

"Hmm," The woman hmmed, a small smile escaping the side of her lips on which Valentina followed the whole movement with her eyes, being unable to control them and rolling them internally towards herself. "Did you lose anything?"

"What?" Valentina asked confused, her eyes connecting with brown eyes again, and she couldn't help but compare the giant contrast of her sky blue eyes with that of the other woman, that were so brown they were almost black.

The other woman laughed. “Are you still aerial? Or was it really the heat?” She smiled another one of those smiles that could light up an entire room with just those perfect white teeth and- "I asked if you lost something or if, I don't know, you came here to ask for some information,"

"I lost my friend's purse," Valentina replied, feeling defeated and disconnected and realizing that she was extremely tired.

She doesn't know if she lost Nayeli's purse or if it was stolen, she only knows that her pouch is still intact around her waist, but her friend's purse is no longer with her. And as she was responsible for the loss, Nayeli and Alexandra returned to the hotel, because, according to them, they couldn't stand to walk on the poorly leveled streets of the city any longer. And it was up to Valentina to try to find her purse again, wishing that some good soul had found it and, who knows, returned it to the foreign service station.

"Aw, that sucks," The black-haired woman gave Valentina a friendly smile. "I came here because I found a bag on the street, actually." She continued to say and Valentina sat up straighter, looking at her hopefully.

Could it be that fate was finally working along with her on this trip and made this woman, whom Valentina didn't even know the name yet, find her friend's purse?

"How is it?" She asked as she turned to face the other woman, who mimicked her movement and now the two were facing each other.

“It had a long and thin shoulder strap and black. Why? You think it can be the same?” The brown-eyed woman asked, leaning in a little toward Valentina, but she was no longer excited. It wasn't the same bag.

"I thought so," Valentina shrugged. "I really don't think we will find it anymore."

The other woman looked at her with a pout forming on her lips. "I'm sorry, but I admire your hope that you might be able to still find it."

“You think I wasn’t finding it? That I won’t?”

“Chiquita, have you seen the streets? The crowds of people?” She moved closer to Valentina, her gaze falling to Valentina's lips and slowly rising to be at eye level again, causing the chestnut to feel a warm current running through her body and stopping right between her legs. "I think it's kind of impossible."

"You found a bag." Valentina stated.

"That's because I'm a good person." The woman shrugged.

"And you’re the only good person in the middle of this sea of people?" Valentina asked, raising an eyebrow, having fun with their banter.

"You never know," she shrugged again.

Valentina laughed when she saw the movement. "Are you serious?"

"No," The woman laughed too. "But that’s rare."

“Whatever,” Valentina rolled her eyes in amusement.

The two women stared at each other for a few seconds, both with a wry smile, until the brown-eyed turned and sat looking forward, looking at her hands on top of her legs.

"I'm Valentina," Valentina held out a hand so that the other woman could take, which was what she did next.

"I know who you are. I’m-"

"Juli, bebe, let's go" The woman who was sitting across from her and whose name was probably Julia or Juliana was interrupted by a high-pitched voice of another female, who was approaching the two.

"Why took you so long?" Juli stood up and put her arm around the other woman's waist, who was shorter than the two and had hair as black as Juli's, and who was probably her friend. Valentina hoped for at least.

Hoped for? Why was she hoping for that?

"I got a little busy in the bathroom and-"

"Okay, spare me the details, Josy," Juli interrupted the woman, extending a hand to her face as she laughed. “My time here wasn't at all wasted, either.” She turned to Valentina, the same smile from before still on her face. "This here is-"

"Valentina Carvajal." The woman said going forward, letting go of Juli's grip and extending her hand to Valentina. “I'm Josy, Juli's friend. Do you know each other?"

"We just met," Valentina replied, smiling and standing up too, not wanting to address her feelings when she found out that Juli already knew who she was and trying not to stare at the woman's arm still around the other's waist. "Well, I'll let you two go because I have to fix my situation yet," She turned to the woman with the darkest and most intense brown eyes she had ever seen in her life.

Okay, it may be too much, but that was how Valentina felt at that moment. She wanted to be able to swim in them. In that dark and endless pool. "See you around, Juli." Valentina smiled sweetly at her.

"Juliana," The brown-eyed held out her hand to Valentina again. "My name is Juliana, you can call me Juli, but it's just to clarify that it's not Julia."

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Juliana,” Valentina took the other woman's hand in hers, letting herself be taken a little by the softness of her hand against hers. "See you around if we're lucky."

"Then I hope we will be luckier than you finding your purse." Juliana said jokingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, same. It was kinda worth it, at least," Valentina winked at Juliana and said goodbye to her friend, then headed straight for the counter again, thanking mentally the fate for having helped her meet this woman for those few minutes.

-

"It seems that luck is on my side again," Juliana said, almost whispering in Valentina's ear, laughing loud when she realized that she startled the woman, extending her arms to try to calm her down.

"Jesus," Valentina put one hand on her chest while the other covered her mouth. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Juliana."

"Sorry," Juliana said with a smile on her face.

"You’re not sorry. You loved watching me scream like a child in the middle of a huge store." Valentina said while narrowing her eyes in defiance, making Juliana miss the blue eyes that she had already seen so many times and that became her favorite shade of blue.

Since she had seen Valentina on Saturday afternoon she had been unable to get the woman out of her head. Going on the social networks of the chestnut was necessary to feed this momentary and healthy obsession that Juliana was harboring for the other woman. But seeing her like this, live and so close to her, close enough that she could smell the sweet scent of Valentina's perfume, which now that Juliana realized, thanks to their flat shoes, was a little taller than she was, and it was so much better this way.

But Juliana didn't need another reason to feel the giant attraction she was feeling for the woman. She was going to think about how a little taller Valentina was later.

"I’m not confirming anything." Juliana replied back, smiling at the other woman who seconds later imitated her and the two stayed like that, facing each other with two big smiles on their faces like two fools. "Are you lost?" Juliana asked after a few seconds.

"No," Valentina shook her head and took Juliana's elbow, pulling her to a corner where they wouldn’t be in the middle of the path where people were also buying. "I got tired of my friends complaining all day about this trip and decided to explore the city on my own today."

"Aw, this sucks," Juliana said. "Traveling with people complaining about the trip is always horrible."

"Are you intimate with situations like this?" Valentina asked and Juliana felt her body react to the intimate word. Which was ridiculous, because Juliana knew the context that Valentina had used that word. She was being ridiculous.

"Ahm," Juliana cleared her throat. “No, not really. I don't travel a lot and when I travel it’s usually with my mom or to places close to my city. Nobody has anything to complain about them.”

"Ugh" Valentina blew out a breath that Juliana could tell was full of frustration. “Can we trade friends? Only until the end of the trip? I swear if I hear again how horrible this whole thing is, I’ll explode.”

"I don't think I could handle being with your friends either." Juliana laughed lightly. "I'm sorry, you’ll have to deal with them until the very end." She shrugged and smiled at the blue-eyed woman, who smiled back at her.

"Well, I had to try." She shrugged too and Juliana watched as she looked around.

"I may not want to trade our friends, but I can give you a more fun experience," Juliana said biting her lip, the regret of having proposed that appearing soon after.

"What do you mean?" Juliana saw Valentina ask while a sexy eyebrow alone was raised.

"I took the day to wander around the city alone too." Lie. "My friends are tired of walking behind a truck for two days in a row and decided to rest their feet today." Another lie.

"Trio." Valentina said out of nowhere.

"What?" Juliana asked, confused.

“Electric trio. It's a trio, not a truck.” Valentina explained.

"I'm pretty sure it's a truck." Juliana responded by raising an eyebrow while a smile was born on her lips.

"Yes, it's a truck, but the correct technical term is electric trio." Valentina tried to better explain.

"And do you like to always use technical terms?" Juliana asked, approaching the taller woman. "Are you a teacher? Or a truck lawyer? Sorry, electric trios.”

Valentina laughed at that and slapped the other woman on the shoulder. "You're just making fun of me right now," she laughed. "Can you go back to your initial proposal?" Juliana saw Valentina bite her bottom lip after asking again and she almost changed the proposal to something they could do alone without people around. Preferable between four walls.

"I was thinking of visiting a well-known village in the city," Juliana started to explain. “I mean, technically, it's not in the city,” Valentina rolled her eyes when she heard Juliana laughing at her again. “It’s very close, tho. We can hire the service at an agency and they take us there and bring us back and we spend the day there.”

"And it’s a village?"

“Yes, there are several beaches, shops, restaurants, there is also a turtle project,” Juliana knew she was already explaining herself too much. She liked the possibility of being able to spend a whole day with Valentina. Only the two of them.

"Sounds fun," Valentina said and stopped, looking ahead, as if thinking about the proposal. "What time would we be back?"

"About six in the afternoon." Juliana replied, her heart racing with Valentina perhaps accepting the proposal.

"I'll do it," Valentina said, a huge smile rising on her full, pink lips and that Juliana was sure they were as soft as they looked. "We’re going now?"

"You’re wearing a bikini?" Juliana asked, her voice breaking when she finished the question. She hadn't thought about it any better and just realized that she would see Valentina in a bikini. And that Valentina would see her in a bikini. Where did she get this brilliant idea?

"I am," Valentina nodded. "I was already going to a nearby beach after I finished shopping here, I came prepared." She ended up saying winking to Juliana, that with every second that passed she only thought about how bad that idea was.

“Perfect,” Juliana exhaled all the air she was holding in her lungs. "Let’s go look for the agency then, to take us there." She took Valentina's hand and led her to the exit of the store, trying not to imagine the varied possibilities that day could end.

-

"I think today was the best day I have had on this trip so far," Valentina said stretched out on the sand as Juliana was doing her best and the impossible not to face the slender chestnut body beside her.

They had spent most of the day together exploring the village, tasting the local cuisine. Valentina had gone into a store and bought a sarong large enough that the two could enjoy the rest of the afternoon in just one place, by the beach.

And now, looking at Valentina's body so close to hers, seeing how the sunlight reflected on the water droplets on the body of the other woman who was already more tanned and inside that black bikini that left little to the imagination, it only made Juliana think about the how much that was probably the worst idea she had in her entire life.

Who proposes to travel to another city and spend the whole day with one of the most beautiful women, literally, from their country and think that they’ll be able to not face her body in all possible situations?

Juliana didn't want to but she was sure that Valentina had already caught her staring at her body in almost every opportunity that they undressed and were just in a bikini.

But Juliana wasn't an idiot, she knew that Valentina was looking at her body in the same way that Juliana was looking at hers. The problem was, Juliana knew she was gay. She just didn't know if Valentina was and, thinking about everything that was public knowledge about her, Juliana was almost sure that she was straight.

"That's a lot of responsibility for me," Juliana replied and laughed trying to ease some of the tension in the air. Or the tension that she herself had created for herself.

"You’re doing great so far." Valentina replied, turning to look at Juliana again and she noticed how the chestnut's eyes traveled down her body once more, and Juliana swore she felt her skin burn. And it wasn't the sun roasting her neurons.

"Tell me about yourself," Juliana said, breaking eye contact and lying down completely, putting her arm over her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

“We spent the whole day but didn't talk about anything... consistent. I don’t know anything about you."

"You said you knew who I was when we met on Saturday."

Upon hearing that, Juliana turned on her side and rested her head on her hand, looking at Valentina again. "I meant that I knew what your name was, but I don't know who you are."

"Wow, that was deep," Valentina laughed, making Juliana laugh with her.

"Right? I read that in a book the other day and was dying to be able to use it in a sentence with someone.” Juliana explained smiling. "It happened faster than I thought, tho." She finished speaking and faced Valentina, and again, the two lost themselves in each other for a few seconds, until Valentina cut off the silent stare challenge.

"What you want to know?" Valentina questioned, lying down as well and imitating Juliana's position.

And no, Juliana wasn't looking at how Valentina's right breast was weighing down.

"What made you come to Salvador?"

"I read in a magazine about the top 5 places I had to visit before I died," Valentina shrugged. “It seemed like a good enough reason to come and get to know the city.” As soon as she finished speaking Juliana started to laugh and Valentina frowned in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Ask me what made me come to Salvador." Juliana asked and Valentina rolled her eyes, smiling amused.

"What made you come to Salvador, Juliana?"

"I read in a magazine about the top 5 places I had to visit before I died." Juliana finished saying and Valentina looked at her, her mouth shaped like an 'o', surprised.

"Liar."

"I swear to God!" Juliana laughed more. "Well, actually my friend Marcela saw it first, but she showed it to me and we decided to come together."

"This is too much of a coincidence."

"Yea," Juliana agreed, beaming at Valentina. Was it possible that her eyes could be more blue than they already were? Juliana thought so.

"And you’re celebrating something?" Valentina asked again, bringing Juliana back to her reality of just being able to stare Valentina and not do much more than that.

"I think it's my turn to ask, morrita." Juliana said, trying to take control of the situation again.

Valentina smiled, rolling her eyes. "Well, ask away, then."

"You only came here because a magazine recommended you?" Juliana asked.

"That too," Valentina said and her expression got a little more serious, she started to play with the sand that surrounded them with her long fingers. “I wanted to do something different, I always travel to these luxurious and idyllic places and... somehow empty, I can't explain. There are a lot of people here and there is a lot of human warmth, it's a party   
all the time. I feel like this city doesn’t ever sleep. I wanted this, I wanted to drown in it, in this experience.” She stopped a little and looked at Juliana again. "There are also historic places and beautiful beaches... all in one city."

"It looks like someone did their homework." Juliana winked at her, joking.

"I like to do my research before different trips like this one." Valentina went back to playing with the sand between her fingers.

"Something else?" Valentina looked up and found herself being stared by questioning brown eyes.

"What makes you think I have something else?"

"I don't know," Juliana shrugged. "It was only a question."

They were silent for a few seconds, but Valentina's blue eyes didn't meet Juliana's this time. Only the dark browns stared at the other woman, and Juliana wanted to have the power to read minds at that moment.

"It's the anniversary of my father's death too." Valentina spoke softly and Juliana felt her heart sink.

She remembers the news of the death of one of the country's greatest entrepreneurs, Leon Carvajal. Well, not death, murder.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Juliana spoke after a few seconds. She never knows what to say in these situations.

"It's okay, it's been years anyway." Valentina said and waved her hand in front of Juliana, as if it wasn’t something important, and Juliana had no choice but to take the other woman's hand in hers and disagree with her.

“It's not okay, Val. No matter how much time passes, he is still your father. And it must still hurt.” Juliana said out of nowhere, not being able to explain where it came from. It's not like she's an expert on how to deal with grief. She had never dealt with herself.

"I know," Valentina replied, her thumb stroking Juliana's hand that still held hers. "What about you? What are you doing here besides seeing a list of places to visit before you die?” She finished the question but Juliana couldn't answer there at the time, focusing only on how Valentina's caress on her hand was comforting her. "Juls?"

Juliana woke up from the trance. "What? Oh, yes, what other reason.. I won a contest.” Juliana started to explain. “I study fashion design and won a contest, the prize was in cash. My mom didn't let me leave the money intact and made me spend it.”

Valentina burst out laughing when she heard that and Juliana decided it was her new favorite sound. She wanted to be able to hear it several times. She wished she could be the reason that laugh always happened.

"You don't like to have a lot of fun, is that right?" Valentina asked.

"No, I like it," Juliana smiled. “I just never had the opportunity to think about travel or just travel. Since I arrived in Mexico at 18, I just work and study. It’s been like that up to this day.” She shrugged, not wanting to look at the expression on Valentina's face when she heard that. The weight of the difference between their two worlds was making itself present in that conversation. "And since I'm going to start another internship as soon as I get back from this trip, Lupe thought it was a good idea for me to spend on something for myself, and not think about the future."

"Lupe?" Valentina raised an eyebrow.

"My mother,"

"Oh," Valentina nodded. "And this internship... is it a good one?"

Juliana felt her face light up when she heard that question. "Honestly, it's the internship of my dreams," She squeezed Valentina’s hand, which was still intertwined with hers. “It will be in Italy. My contract is one year old.”

"Oh ." Juliana saw the expression on Valentina's face diminish again. What had she said wrong? "Italy?"

"Yea," Juliana replied carefully. "Something wrong?" She asked not knowing if she wanted to hear the answer.

"No! Of course not." Valentina responded quickly. “It’s just… I was already looking forward to seeing you in the city as soon as we arrived back home.”

"Oh," Valentina's honesty surprised Juliana. She also wanted to see the other woman again when she arrived in Mexico. She wanted to be able to see Valentina every day. But it wouldn’t be possible. And she didn't want to feed on what it could be. "I would love to be able to see you too," Juliana said. "But even that pretty face couldn't make me not accept a one-year internship with everything paid for in Italy." She ended by saying, trying to keep the air still light between the two.

Juliana could already feel the less hot sun touching their half naked bodies, and she was already starting to sadden, thinking that she would have to say goodbye to Valentina soon.

“A paid internship? You must live a good life now,” Valentina said, smiling at Juliana, but the smile not touching her eyes this time.

"It hasn't always been like this," Juliana replied, running away from Valentina's eyes now. “I mean, my life today is better than it was when I arrived in Mexico. My life today is better than any other stage of my life.”

"Is that so?" Valentina asked in a sweet voice, getting closer to Juliana.

"My dad wasn't a very nice guy," Juliana started. “Actually, he was nowhere near being a nice man. But it's okay, he's dead now.”

“Oh, Juls,” Valentina disconnected her hands for the first time in minutes that they were glued together, but instead of placing it closer to her own body, she put her hand back on Juliana's cheek, caressing the area, causing Juliana to involuntarily close her eyes and lean over to have more contact with the warm palm of the blue-eyed woman. "I'm sorry."

Juliana chuckled lightly when she heard that and stopped when she felt Valentina's hand stop caressing her face. "What was funny?"

“Nothing, Val, I'm sorry. I just thought it was funny that our parents died at the same time, but I’m far from being sorry for his death.” Juliana stopped talking and looked at Valentina for a few seconds, who had resumed the caresses on her face. “When I said he wasn't a nice guy, it was an understatement. He was a very bad man, Val. I don't miss him.”

"Wait," Valentina stopped the affection once again and Juliana almost complained in frustration. “When did your father die? Do you remember?"

"Ahm," Juliana began to say, hiding the fact that she remembers exactly the date of her father's death, because, in addition to having seen him electrocuted, it was the first day that she had felt lighter in her entire life. "I don't really remember Val," She cleared her throat. "I think it was on March 3rd."

"Mine too," Valentina said in a whisper, Juliana watching her move closer to her, her body already feeling warm waves coming from Valentina's body invading her presence. "My father also died on March 3, Juls."

"Wow," Juliana said thoughtfully. "That is bizarre."

Valentina wore a short smile on her lips when she heard Juliana say that. "Yes, it's bizarre." The blue-eyed woman repeated what Juliana said and her eyes went down to the level of Juliana's lips.

But the problem now is that they were so close, that Juliana could feel Valentina's warm breath caressing her lips, and that was already driving her crazy.

"I think we have to go," Juliana said, walking away slowly so as not to startle Valentina, who still had her eyes trained between staring at Juliana's lips and her brown eyes. "We don't want the bus to forget where we are, right?"

"Okay," Valentina agreed, her voice low, and that Juliana didn't want to detect something that would be desire, the same amount of desire she was feeling in her own core. "Let's get ready to meet the guide."

Juliana mentally thanked her bikini for being still wet at that moment, as she was afraid that Valentina would discover that she was wet, but for a completely different reason than the dive they had taken together before.

-

"So, any regrets on having to spend the day with me?" Juliana asked as soon as they arrived at Valentina's hotel.

The return ride was quieter than the one they took when they were going to the village. Juliana wanted to blame the silence thanks to the incredible day they had, and on the way back the tiredness overcame the need to be social and learn about each other.

They talked a little bit more about personal things, about how Valentina was a journalist and worked in a magazine inside her company, about how she was in love with her nieces, daughters of her brother Guillermo and her sister Eva. How she missed them and was bringing them a lot of gifts.

Juliana didn't want that day to end, not like that now and not so fast. It seemed that the day flew by and the idea that she would never be able to see Valentina again, left her chest tightening.

Which was ridiculous, because they hadn't known each other for not even 24 hours.

"I don't want to be separated from you yet." Once again, Valentina's honesty made Juliana feel naked. But before Juliana could digest what she had just heard, and how she could interpret that, Juliana felt herself being taken to a far corner of the hotel, where no one could pass by to interrupt them. "You must be feeling it too, Juliana." Valentina said, her body almost glued to Juliana's against the wall. "I'm not crazy about feeling this," She pointed to the two. "I know that I am not alone."

"Val-" Juliana started to say but stopped at the exact moment that she felt Valentina's soft lips touching her jaw, leaving small and short kisses along its entire length.

"Don't lie to me, Juliana," Valentina said whispering in her ear. “I know you are feeling the same as I am. I might not have seen it sometimes, but I felt my skin burn every time you looked at me, I can't explain how, I just know I felt it.”

“Jesus, Valentina,” Juliana placed both hands on Valentina's waist, joining it with hers, with no more inches between them. "Of course, you didn't feel it alone." Juliana swallowed. "I spent all day trying not to stare at you, not looking at your body and not imagining what it was like to feel your lips on mine-"

Juliana was interrupted again with Valentina's lips pressed against hers, but without moving, without them opening, they were just pressed, but with enough force that Juliana wanted to change their position and kiss Valentina the way she really wanted to since the day she met her at the foreign station.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Juliana asked carefully. She was already way too aroused, the pain between her legs indicating how ruined her bikini should be by now.

"Yes," Valentina whispered the reply, kissing Juliana's lips several times gently, her hands holding Juliana's face in place, firm and strong. Juliana felt Valentina's long fingers on her face and just wondered what she wouldn't do to be able to feel them elsewhere.

"But you know it can't go anywhere, right?" She asked against Valentina's lips. She didn't want to, but she had to be honest. She had to throw the cards on the table. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep anything at a distance, already assuming Valentina would want something like that.

But she knew she wasn't going to make it.

"Juls," Valentina took her lips off Juliana's mouth and looked at her. Juliana could only see desire reflected in the chestnut's eyes, the black of her iris covering almost all the blue. "I'd rather know what it's like to have you just once than spend a lifetime wondering what it could have been." Juliana moaned when she heard that and took Valentina's lower lip between hers, hearing a groan just like the one she had given seconds before, but this time coming from the chestnut. "The idea of doing this just once is more pleasant than the idea of never doing it." She finished saying her husky voice.

"You don't have to flatter me, Valentina, you already had me in 'Juls'," Juliana said jokingly, almost jokingly, she was telling the truth. She didn't want to be sure if Valentina wanted her or not. She wanted to be sure that Valentina wanted to sleep with a woman.

"I'm not trying to win you over, Juliana." The blue-eyed woman said, kissing Juliana's jaw again as she went down to her neck. "I already have you," She whispered against her throat, which she couldn't help but change their position, placing Valentina against the wall and tucking her leg between the other woman's legs, eliciting an almost guttural moan from her.

"Do you even like women?" Juliana asked as she attacked Valentina's neck with kisses and bites.

"I like you, Juls," Valentina put her head back to normal so she could meet Juliana's eyes again. "I want you tonight, not other women, I just want you."

Valentina took Juliana's lips in surprise and kissed her for real. Opening her lips and sticking her tongue without even asking for anything before. It seemed that Valentina was tired of walking in circles and Juliana realized that she was too.

She lifted her hands up to the chestnut's face and held it in place, kissing her more properly and willingly, their tongues dancing at their own pace as Valentina's hands roamed over her body.

Juliana doesn’t remember having had such an explosive first kiss, she felt Valentina everywhere and the woman had barely touched her.

"Can ee go to my room?" Valentina asked, their mouths still glued, their breaths labored.

"Yes, please," It was the last thing Juliana said before she felt herself being pulled by Valentina to the elevators, and Juliana realized at that moment that she would go with Valentina wherever she wanted, anywhere in the world.

-

"Are you okay?" Valentina heard Juliana ask and felt the bed move beside her, watching the black-haired woman lie on her side with her peripheral vision. "Val?" Juliana spoke again and Valentina felt her fingers smooth over her arm, making Valentina close her eyes at the touch.

"Yes," She finally said, turning to Juliana and holding her breath as her eyes looked back in intense brown eyes, but which also brought an expression of... anxiety? Perhaps. "I'm great, actually."

"You were quiet for a while," Juliana said, stating the obvious.

A few minutes ago Juliana was inside Valentina. Literally. Making her reach the peak of the most intense and lasting pleasure that the blue-eyed woman could remember having. And doing all this while kissing Valentina slowly, planting small kisses on her lips as Valentina came down from her orgasm, Juliana's fingers still moving inside her.

She needed a few minutes for her breathing to return to normal, and for the thoughts and desires to repeat that again and again to invade her again.

"I needed time to compose myself." She reached for Juliana's hair, placing a lock behind her ear as she watched the brown-eyed woman smile in embarrassment.

"And have you?" Juliana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yea," Valentina said in her husky voice and in a quick movement, she removed the blanket that covered half their bodies and went over to Juliana, loving how their bodies seemed to mold each other with an ease as if they were old acquaintances. "And I want it again." She said tilting her head down and kissing Juliana, feeling her spread her legs under her and making Valentina stay perfectly in the middle of her legs, making the two of them moan against each other when they feel their lower bodies connected so closely together.

"Jesus, Valentina," Juliana gasped when Valentina finally released her lips, a sarcastic smile appearing on her red lips due to the amount of kisses they exchanged in the last hour.

"What? You were the one who said that women can do this all night without having to stop to rest,” Valentina kissed Juliana's neck and went down her neck, until she reached the middle of Juliana's breasts, feeling how the other woman's breath got deeper and faster the closer she came to an already erect nipple.

"Yes, but sometimes, when we have three orgasms in a row, we do need a break- Valentina!" Juliana shouted Valentina's name when she felt an already sensitive nipple being covered by Valentina's hot mouth, and then being bitten harder than usual.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Valentina released Juliana's nipple and brought her body up again, their heads level now. "Are _you_ okay?" She asked Juliana, who was circling her arms around Valentina's body, bringing her impossibly closer.

"Yes, I’m great, actually." Juliana said repeating the same words that the blue-eyed woman had said earlier, making Valentina laugh and roll her eyes. "Where are your friends?"

Valentina raised her eyebrow at the question. "I’m naked on top of you and you’re asking me about my friends?"

Juliana laughed, lifting her head slightly and taking Valentina's lips between hers. “Yes, we are naked in your bed in the hotel room that I thought you shared with your friends. What time do they arrive?”

"I don't share the suite," Valentina replied, tracing Juliana's face with her index finger.

"No?"

Valentina shook her head. “My friends thought very well about how they could enjoy the brazilian men on this trip and we decided to stay in separate rooms.” She smiled at Juliana. "We’re at least in the same corridor."

"I wanted to say that your friends are very smart, giving you ideas like that," Juliana said and turned the two in position, getting on top of Valentina now, taking her by surprise. "Actually, I think I'm a number one fan of your friends right now," She kissed the chestnut softly on the lips as her fingers brushed strands of hair behind her ears. "I mean, they gave me a day alone with you," Juliana said, kissing Valentina again, as she stood up a little and put her hand between their bodies. "And they let me stay here with you in your room," Juliana touched her lips again, her fingers already low enough for Valentina to feel her fingers caressing her curls gently, but enough to make Valentina lift her hips, seeking more contact.

"I thought you needed to recover," Valentina said through her teeth, Juliana's fingers lower and lower.

"I just want to show you how grateful I am to have you here like this, and to be able to get to know you so well," Juliana said the last word as she entered Valentina again, the blue-eyed woman not being able to hold the loud moan that escaped her lips, but was quickly drowned out by Juliana's mouth on hers, kissing her as if they were going to do this one last time forever.

-

3 years later.

Valentina didn't believe that she was finally in front of the woman who from time to time in the past three years still invaded her memory and senses.

Juliana Valdés was more beautiful than before, if that was possible. Her smile while she was on top of that catwalk lit up the entire space and was a catalyst for everyone who was looking at her and smiling back at her. A classic by Juliana Valdés.

Valentina was lost in thought watching the fashion designer being applauded and admired on the catwalk next to her models wearing her drawings, when she realized that Juliana was staring back, her huge beam was replaced by a smaller one, as if she knew something that Valentina was yet to discover.

The designer's attention was drawn to another place and a few minutes passed before the audience started to disperse and Valentina, still standing in the same place, saw Juliana staring at her and indicating for Valentina to follow her.

The blue-eyed woman took a deep breath and went in the indicated direction, not understanding why she was suddenly nervous about the imminent reunion of the two.

They had already tried to see each other in the first year since they met in Brazil, but the more time went by the more they were sunk in their jobs and obligations, Juliana, when she was in Mexico Valentina was out, travelling for work, and when Valentina was finally able to take the time to go to Italy, she already felt their relationship as friends had cooled down.

Besides, she thought it was crazy to go to another country to just meet up with a person she slept with just one night. It didn't matter if she could remember perfectly the sounds and scents and sensations of when they both slept together.

It didn't matter if every time she kissed someone different she compared those lips to Juliana's, none of them being able to have the same effect that the kisses the designer had gave her three years ago.

“What a coincidence to see you here,” Valentina heard Juliana say while being pulled into a hidden corner of the event's backstage.

"Believe me, it was no coincidence," Valentina said, her breath already short and labored when she found herself so close and so alone with the designer in front of her.

Juliana had a smile that Valentina knew and missed seeing so close. As if she already knew everything that was happening and was going to happen before everyone else. Valentina hadn't realized how much she missed it.

"What do you mean?" The designer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I followed you here."

"You did, hmm?" The same eyebrow went up more when Valentina nodded. "And why did you do that, Carvajal?" Juliana said approaching her.

"Because I wanted to," Valentina replied, shrugging.

“Well, I'm glad you did that. I would have done that too.”

"And why didn't you do it before?" Valentina asked, also getting closer. Their noses were almost touching now and Valentina felt that all that time hadn’t passed between them.

"It seems that no time has passed between us," Juliana said in a low voice as if she had just read the chestnut's mind, staring into Valentina's eyes and then looking down into her mouth, where Valentina licked her lips knowing that the designer would follow the movements with her eyes.

How could that be? How could they already be flirting with each other so obviously after so much time has passed and at the same time it looks like they saw each other last week?

"And I didn't know that you would want to see me again," Juliana said and finally, she took a step backwards, creating a space that Valentina was hating at that moment.

"Are you serious?" She asked, frustration knocking on her door.

"Juliana," A woman appeared out of nowhere interrupting them and Juliana put more space between the two, looking one last time at Valentina before leaving the place they were in and walking the short steps to the woman, who didn't wait another second before placing her hand on Juliana's waist, as if she already knew her.

They talked quickly and Juliana smiled at her, returning to Valentina's front and pulling her further into the curtain while the woman followed the opposite way. "What is it that whenever I see you there’s a woman glued to you?"

"You are the only woman glued to me right now," Juliana replied playfully and Valentina rolled her eyes smiling. “And you saw it only once in another country and it was my best friend. Just like that woman who just left here. She is Marcela. You met Josy in Brazil.”

"Have you been back there since?"

"Yes," Juliana smiled. “But for work this time. No fun.”

"I doubt it." Valentina replied, smiling back. "You don't strike me as the type of woman who doesn't have fun anywhere you go."

"Only when I'm working," Juliana replied, approaching her again. "What about you?"

"No, I didn't go back there."

"Too intense for you, princess?" Juliana asked, a sarcastic smile replacing the previous one now.

"No," Valentina was almost out of breath. How was she almost out of breath in three minutes of conversation? "And that's not my name."

“Oh, I know that’s not your name. I remember your name very well, Valentina.” Juliana slowly pulled Valentina around the waist. "In fact, I remember a lot of things that involve you."

"Really?" Valentina closed her eyes instinctively when her waists collided in a movement that she already knew very well. "What kind of things?"

Juliana chuckled softly and stroked Valentina's face, making her open her eyes and face old acquaintances and intense brown eyes. "I need to know something before I know if I can tell you what I remember."

"Anything." Valentina wasn't even ashamed of being already sold to Juliana like that.

"Are you still single?" Valentina felt that Juliana's gaze was piercing her, reaching under her skin, she felt it burn where their bodies touched.

How this woman still had so much power over her after so long was a mystery to her. But a mystery that she didn't want to solve now. She had other priorities.

"Yes," Valentina replied quietly, her eyes never leaving Juliana's. "You?"

"I’m-"

"Juli," Juliana was interrupted again and Valentina wanted to hit the person.

"Yes?" Juliana asked, separating their bodies and coming out from behind the curtain, leaving Valentina there alone, which, on second thought, was a good thing because she would be able to recover her breath and put her thoughts in order.

"Val," But Juliana returned before Valentina could do anything. "I have to go now, I'm sorry-"

"Give me your number?" Valentina asked, interrupting her.

"I'm sure you'll know where to find me, Carvajal," Juliana replied and pulled Valentina against her, planting a kiss on Valentina's lips and disconnecting them too quickly. "You’ll call me?" She asked hoarsely.

"Tonight," Valentina replied, nodding slightly, her chest rising and falling thanks to her deep breath after feeling Juliana's lips on hers after so long.

"I'll be waiting and, yes, I'm single, Val." Juliana winked at her and then, Valentina saw Juliana leaving her behind again, but this time Valentina knew very well where to find her.


End file.
